Fishing is a popular recreational activity which typically involves the use of a fishing rod to cast a baited hook, line and sinker into a body of water in order to catch a fish. More specifically, the conventional technique of casting out a fishing line involves swinging the fishing rod through an arc and allowing the momentum of the sinker to carry an attached hook, line and bait out into the body of water.
However, difficulties tend to arise in relation to the prior art in that certain individuals may often lack the physical strength and/or coordination to swing the rod in such a way as to enable the hook, line and sinker to be sufficiently propelled in to the water.
Also, in a cramped environment where numerous individuals may be fishing within a confined space (e.g. on a fishing boat) it may be impracticable to swing the fishing rod as the line may become entangled with other nearby fishing lines or adjacent obstructions. Moreover, it may be dangerous to swing the rod in a cramped environment as there is a risk that a bystander might be struck and injured.
A further problem with the prior art is that it may often be difficult to control the direction and distance to which a line is cast by swinging a fishing rod. This problem is particularly evident where an individual is inexperienced in the sport of fishing and is unable to properly control the distance and direction in which the line is cast.
Fishing can occasionally be a dangerous recreation particularly when fishing in close proximity to a dangerous body of water. For instance, activities such as rock-fishing are responsible for a number of deaths each year throughout the world. However, it tends to be difficult to cast out the fishing line in to the body of water using conventional means and methods without being at the water's edge.
There are other problems also associated with the sport of fishing. One area of difficulty relates to the use of burly in a body of water in order to attract fish. In particular, it is desirable for a fisherman to be able to disperse the burley within proximity of the fishing hook and bait so as to increase the chances of catching a fish. However, this is often difficult to achieve given the effects of the tides and other environmental conditions which may disperse the burley in a random manner.